January 2019 Geocacher Profile

The Membership Relations Committee is happy to showcase some ArkGeo Geocachers through the "Geocacher Profile". The committee thought jdpc3 aka Jennifer and Danny Volpert should be the next cacher to be in the spotlight.

How long have you been geocaching?Since March of 2013. Before we met, Danny had found a few, way back when caching was new, and you spent all day looking for one cache out in the middle of nowhere! He never had a caching name or logged them anywhere though.

How did you find your first Geocache, and which one was it?Black Hawk Down (GC2B6QT) We don't remember how it came up, but Danny mentioned that he had done some geocaching (old school) back when caching was fairly new. I was interested, so he plugged some coordinates into his GPS unit and took me out to find one of his previous finds. I got to the GZ okay but was literally standing next to the container and didn't see it. He finally had to point it out to me! I was hooked from there.

Who usually goes with you when you go caching?It's just the two of us now. The kids are grown and married, or living on their own.

How long will you work on puzzle caches before you give up?We don't do a lot of puzzle caches but if we do, it has to be an easy one! We give up too easily!

What town/areas have you most enjoyed caching in?We most enjoy caching on our travels and vacations. That may be an ammo can on Mt. Magazine or a virtual in the Grand Canyon! Interesting places along our route or a cache that takes us to an out of the way place.

Do you do paperless caching?Yep!

What kind of geocaching rig do you use? We use our 2016 Subaru Forester and our two Android devices. We also have an old, old GPS unit that we use when we're out and have no cell service.

Why would you recommend anyone else to take up geocaching?It's fun for everyone. Singles, couples, kids, families, groups...all skill levels. It doesn't cost much, you can do it on your own time, and caches are everywhere!

Where are you originally from?Both from Little Rock. We actually grew up on the same street as kids but never knew each other.

In what states have you geocached?We have cached in 19 states. Also have 2 finds in Canada and 1 in Dominican Republic.

What was your first event ever attended? Jacksonville Meet n Greet at Emily's Diner hosted by Butch724 back in August of 2013.

How many caches have you found? 1,027

Which type of cache container do you prefer over the rest?Ammo can in the woods. We also like caches in interesting places or near historical landmarks.

What was the most famous cache that you have found? Gorilla Stash (GC1B)

Do you use disposable batteries or rechargeable batteries? Mostly use cell phones, but we use disposable batteries in our old GPS unit.

Do you enjoy hiding or finding more as your part of the hobby? Definitely finding!

Do you have a personal goal in mind when you make a hide?So far, our hides are in the parks around Sherwood and easy to find. We wanted them to be fun for families/kids... and hopefully an intro to Geocaching. They're also great for the avid cacher who needs a quick lunch break find.

What is your favorite type of cache hide?One that's in a cool location or has a cool container. Found one over on an island on Lake Ouachita that had a rubber snake near the container, scared the crap out of us and we talked about if all day long!

Out of all your hides, what are your personal favorites that you take pride in?We really loved placing our river caches. But, they were hard to maintain and didn't have a lot of activity, so we archived them.

What do you think the proper hide to find ratio should be to keep the sport fresh?Not sure about this. But we think you should only hide what you can maintain. Luckily, geocaching has those that love hiding more than finding. And they're good at it!

How did you end up getting into this wacky hobby?Danny first, then he introduced it to me.

What's your favorite geocache? Field and Stream (GC46GTZ), we went back three times before we finally got this one. Even met the CO on one of our attempts. He had just performed maintenance and said it WAS there and all was good. When we finally found it - Mind blown!! PCC Maverick (GC40W0W) was also a good one! We looked and looked all over the place before we got this one - Wow!

If money was no object, where would you like to go geocaching? Germany

Do you like geocaching by yourself or in a group? Either is great.

How many First to Finds do you have? One. We just lucked into it!

Are you a First to Find person who is always set on go and if so, how many miles out do you have your settings on to get notifications? No.

Do you have any other hobbies besides geocaching?Camping, snorkeling, traveling, and spending time with our four grandkids. Can't wait for them to be old enough to enjoy caching with us.